Wildlife deterrent for high voltage supporting members

ABSTRACT

A wildlife deterrent for a utility support structure member between two conductors includes a bracket for attachment to the supporting member, a center support piece with a variable height arm connector, and two adjustable arms pivotally attached to the arm connector. No tools are required for the adjustments or attachments. Since the effective lengths of the support and arms are adjustable, either by elongation or using different length parts, the same angle of the arms can be achieved no matter what the separation between the conductors, and the gap between the arms and the conductor can be optimal for both deterrence and flashover prevention. The different pieces forming the deterrent can be selected by the lineman to quickly build an optimal deterrent in the field.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a wildlife deterrent for use on an electrictransmission and distribution system structure, such as a crossarm,pole, or other supporting structure, to prevent electrocution of birdsand other wildlife that complete an electrical path phase to phase orphase to ground.

BACKGROUND

Electrical transmission and distribution circuits include conductorssupported by grounded support structures such as wooden poles, steelpoles, concrete poles, and lattice towers. The support structures areessentially grounded since they are embedded in the earth. Eachconductor (or wire) is separated from the grounded structure by aninsulator, such as a ceramic insulator. The insulators also provideseparation between the conductors (or phases). The phase separation isdetermined by the circuit voltage, the proximity to ground, and thelength of the span.

Insulators are manufactured in various sizes and shapes according toindustry standards. The insulator chosen for use on a support structurevaries in size and is dependent on the circuit voltage as well as otherelectrical and physical characteristics.

The construction and design of support structures vary for single phaseand three phase electrical circuits. The insulators and phases attachedto a crossarm or supporting member may all be at the same levelhorizontally and separated a certain distance according to industrystandards. Or, they may be configured vertically and attached to thesupport structure by means of a bracket or supporting member.

The distance between the insulators, energized phases, and groundpotential varies according to the circuit voltage and othercharacteristics. If a bird, squirrel, or other animal perched or sittingon a support structure, supporting member, conductor, or insulatorcompletes a circuit phase to phase, or phase to ground, a flashover willoccur, resulting in an outage, disrupting power to customers, and thedeath of the animal.

Electricity is always seeking a path to ground. Therefore, industryguidelines recommend that energized conductors have adequate separationphase to phase and phase to ground. This separation is referred to asclearance. Electricity flows over the surface of a conductor orinsulator. With regards to insulators, the separation or surface areabetween the conductor and ground is referred to as leakage distance.Typically, insulators are manufactured with skirts to lengthen thesurface distance phase to ground and minimize the overall height of theinsulator. If an animal approaches the energized conductor or insulatorand provides a conductive path to ground, or if an animal effectivelyreduces the necessary separation or clearance of two energizedconductors, a short will occur in the circuit, resulting in a momentaryor permanent outage. Depending on the circuit voltage, this animal doesnot necessarily have to come in direct contact with the energizedconductor or insulator for the electricity to discharge across to theconductive path. Mylar balloons have also been known to create the shortcircuit. Additionally, the shorting could also be caused by animproperly installed or damaged wildlife deterrent device installed by alineman with insufficient clearance from the energized conductors andinsulators. It is essential that adequate separation or clearance bemaintained phase to ground and phase to phase.

The present invention relates to an improved wildlife deterrent for useon a high voltage utility support structure, such those generally usedto support electrical distribution conductors between substations andhomes or businesses. The conductors typically carry AC voltages under 75kV and as little as 120 V. Such supporting structures may have multiplesupporting members, where the highest supporting member supportsconductors carrying the highest voltage. Medium to high voltageconductors are frequently not shielded by insulation.

Some wildlife deterrents are known. One type of deterrent is a preformedplastic triangle that is bolted to the support member between twoconductors, where the closest distance between a triangle arm and aconductor is insufficient to cause a flashover through the plastic butclose enough to prevent an animal going between the conductor and thetriangle. However, although rigidly-shaped deterrents may be suitablefor some insulator spacings, the same deterrent may not be suitable fora range of insulator spacings. Therefore, different sizes of suchdeterrents must be on hand for the lineman, or a compromise must be madeby using the single deterrent for different situations.

An adjustable-angle deterrent is manufactured by Hendrix Conductor &Cable, Inc. that consists of two arms attached at a pivot point. Thearms are spread to provide the desired distance between each arm and itsclosest conductor, while not leaving room for an animal to perch betweenthe arm and the conductor, and the free ends of the arms are nailed orlagged to the supporting member to form a triangle. However, with such adeterrent, the angle becomes less and less as the arms are spread widerand wider to accommodate different spacings of conductors. This designcannot be used on metal or concrete type supporting structures due tothe method of nailing or lagging. Therefore, there must be a compromisebetween: 1) the closest space between the deterrent and the conductor todeter wildlife yet avoid flashover between the conductor and thedeterrent; and 2) the angle of the arms, where a steep angle of the armsis needed to deter animals perching on the arms.

Another type of wildlife deterrent, manufactured by Midsun Group, Inc.,has a fixed-length vertical rod and two sets of three pivoting armsextending from opposite sides of the vertical rod. The six arms preventa bird from roosting on the support member, provided the insulators andconductors are spaced adequately from the arms of the deterrent. If theinsulators and conductors are spaced beyond the maximum width of thedeterrent and there is too much clearance between the deterrent and theinsulator, the deterrent becomes ineffective. Further, as the arms arespread out and become more horizontal to widen the overall design of thedeterrent, the arms do not maintain the angle needed to discourage abird from landing on them. The deterrent effectively becomes an invitingperch instead of a deterrent to perch.

Conversely, if the insulators are spaced close together, the deterrentmay jeopardize the phase to phase spacing.

What is needed is an adjustable wildlife deterrent for utility supportstructures that can be easily and quickly configured by the lineman foroptimal deterrence by maintaining critical angles to discourage birdsand wildlife from perching and sitting next to energized conductors andinsulators and provide the necessary adjustability for clearance issuesto prevent flashover from occurring phase to ground, phase to phase,with varying conductor and insulator spacings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a wildlife deterrent for a utility support structureis attached to a conductor/insulator supporting member between twoconductors. The deterrent includes a bracket for attachment to asupporting member, a separate center support piece having an adjustableheight arm connector, and two variable-length arms pivotally attached tothe arm connector on the center support piece, where the other ends ofthe arms are connectable to the supporting member. The variable-lengtharms may be adjustable-length arms or an assortment of arms of differentlengths. The deterrent forms a triangle shape when connected together,and since the height of the arm connector on the center support and thelengths of the arms are variable, the optimal angle of the arms can beachieved and maintained no matter what the separation between theconductors, and the gap between the arms and the conductors can beoptimal for both deterrence and flashover prevention.

In another application, the deterrent is next to a conductor on one sidebut there is no conductor proximate to the other side of the deterrent.

In another embodiment, the pivotally attached arms are short and haveends that do not attach directly to the supporting member.

In one embodiment, the arms may be attached anywhere along the length ofthe center support, allowing any number of arms to be connected.

In one embodiment, the center support has an adjustable height, ratherthan or in addition to the arm connector being connectable anywherealong the center support.

In one embodiment, the deterrent can be mounted on the side of avertical support structure that supports conductors running along thesides of the support structure, where the variable arms only extend fromone side of the center support piece.

In one embodiment, the same arms may be used for connection to thecenter support piece to create a medium or large deterrent or connecteddirectly to each other at their pivot point for creating a smalldeterrent for closely spaced conductors.

All attachments and adjustments are made by hand-operated clips, orother types of interlocking devices, so no tools are needed. The entirestructure is formed of a plastic (e.g., PVC) or other dielectric.

The invention allows many different sizes and shapes of deterrents to becreated using the same parts. Forming a deterrent to have customizedcharacteristics, depending on the conductor spacing and type of supportstructure, enables a lineman to optimize the deterrent in the fieldwithout requiring the stocking of many different sizes and shapes ofdeterrents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of a wildlife deterrent, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention, mounted on a supportingmember of a utility support structure.

FIG. 1B illustrates the deterrent of FIG. 1A being optimized forconductors having a close spacing of D.

FIG. 1C illustrates the deterrent of FIG. 1A being optimized forconductors having a wider spacing of 1.5 D by adjusting the lengths ofthe center support and arms and adjusting the arm angles.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the adjustable-length center support of FIG.1A.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the adjustable-length center support ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an adjustable-length pivoting arm connectableanywhere along the length of the center support of FIG. 3. (The arms areshown in their minimum length position for storage.)

FIG. 5 is a side view of the adjustable-length pivoting arm of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the adjustable-length pivoting arm ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a connector that is connectable along thelength of a center support and is used to pivotally connect the arm ofFIG. 4 to the center support of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates the center support of FIG. 3 supporting arms that donot extend down to the supporting member, where the downward angle ofthe arms is limited by a mechanical stop.

FIG. 10 illustrates a deterrent mounted on the side of a verticalsupport structure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a variation of the deterrent of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a front view of arms connected at a pivot point that may bethe same arms connectable to the connector of FIG. 7, illustrating thevarious configurations of deterrents that may be created with the sameset of parts.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the arms of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 illustrates another embodiment of a deterrent similar to FIG. 1Abut using a different type of interlocking device for all the pieces.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the bracket used in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the bracket used in FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a front view of the center support used in FIG. 14.

FIG. 18 is a side view of the center support used in FIG. 14.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the connector used in FIG. 14 forattachment of the arms to the center support.

FIG. 20 is a front view of an arm that may be connected to the connectorof FIG. 19 or directly to the center support of FIG. 17, where the armmay either be adjustable in length or come in different lengths.

FIG. 21 is a front view of two arms, identical to the arm of FIG. 20,being pivotally connected together for a small or otherwise simpledeterrent.

FIG. 22 illustrates the center support of FIG. 17 supporting arms thatdo not extend down to the supporting member, where the downward angle ofthe arms is fixed by the connection of two interlocking devices to theconnector.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the connector used in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a front view of one of the arms in the deterrent of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a side view of one of the arms in the deterrent of FIG. 22.

Elements labeled with the same numerals may be identical or similar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of the wildlife deterrent 10 inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. A bracket 12 for thedeterrent 10 is nailed or lagged (using a lag screw) to a woodensupporting member 14 of a utility support structure 15. Anadjustable-length center support 16 is connected to the bracket 12 byhand-releasable clips (seen in greater detail in FIG. 3). Two arms 18are connected near the top of the center support 16, via a connectorpiece 19, by hand-releasable clips (seen in greater detail in FIGS.6-8). The middle portion of the connector piece 19 is obscured by thetop of the center support 16. The entire deterrent 10 may be moldedplastic, such as one-eighth inch thick PVC or polyethylene. The plasticis of a type that has well-defined dielectric characteristics and longlife outdoors.

The center support 16 has an adjustable length to allow the deterrent 10to be adapted to different separations between conductors 20. Eachconductor 20 is supported by a ceramic insulator 22 bolted through thesupporting member 14. The conductor voltage will typically be less than75 kV and most likely less than 50 kV.

In one embodiment, the arms 18 have an adjustable length. In anotherembodiment, the lineman selects from a plurality of arms 18 in stockhaving different lengths, depending on the optimal shape of thedeterrent 10.

The optimal shape of the deterrent 10 is when the arms 18 are closeenough to the conductors 20 to prevent a bird, squirrel, or othertargeted animal from perching or walking between the arm 18 and theconductor 20. There is no problem with flashover if the animal goesbetween the two arms 18, since the animal could not touch a conductor20. Another aspect of an optimal shape of the deterrent 10 is having thearms 18 at a steep angle with respect to horizontal so that a bird wouldnot perch on the arms 18. A good angle is between 50°-77° relative tothe supporting member 14. To provide both optimal attributes of thedeterrent 10, the center support 16 is adjustable in height, and thearms 18 are either adjustable in length or selected from a stock of arms18 of different lengths. All adjustments should be made without the useof tools.

FIG. 1B illustrates the deterrent 10 optimally configured for closelyspaced insulators 22 with a spacing of D, and FIG. 1C illustrates thedeterrent 10 optimally configured for widely spaced insulators 22 with aspacing of 1.5 D. The same deterrent 10 may be used in FIGS. 1B and 1C,with its center support 16 and arms 18 lengthened using the clips andholes shown in FIGS. 2-8. In one embodiment, the lengths of the centersupport 16 and arms 18 are adjustable up to being approximately doublethe minimum lengths. For a supporting member supporting three conductors(two spaces between conductors), two deterrents 10 would be used on thesupporting member, and the deterrents 10 would have differentconfigurations if the spacings between the conductors were different.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the center support 16 and attached bracket 12,and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the support 16 and bracket 12.

The bracket 12 has sides that fit over a standard supporting member andhas small holes for being nailed or screwed to the supporting member.The bracket 12 has a receiving area 26 for the center support 16 withresilient plastic clips 28 that snap into the two bottom holes in thecenter support 16 to firmly secure the support 16 to the bracket 12 andsupporting member. All the clips used throughout the deterrent 10 may beidentical.

The support 16 consists of a lower portion 30 and a narrower upperportion 32 that slides with respect to the lower portion 30 within achannel. The lower portion 30 includes two clips 34 near its top. Anyset of holes 36 along the length of the upper portion 32 can be pushedover the clips 34 to secure the upper portion 32 in place for adjustingthe length of the center support 16.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a connector piece 19 for the center support 16that snaps into the top two holes of the upper portion 32 usingresilient clips 42. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the connector piece40. The clips 42 may be released by pushing up or down on them.

Adjustable arms 18 are shown in the different views of FIGS. 4-6. Thearms 18 shown are short for illustration but may be adjustable from1.5-3 feet. The arms 18 are also shown in their stored configuration,having their minimum length for storage. Other adjustable lengths areenvisioned along with fixed length arms of any length for use with theadjustable center support 16. A top clip 44 of an upper arm 46 clipsinto a hole 48 in the connector piece 19 (FIG. 7) to allow the upper arm46 to pivot. The upper arm 46 includes a pair of oppositely-engagedclips 50 that engage any pair of holes 52 in a lower arm 54 to adjustthe overall length of the arm 18. The maximum length of the arms 18should be greater than the maximum length of the center support 16. Theadjustable arms 18 use the same basic adjustment mechanism as the upperand lower portions of the center support 16 but do not need to be asrobust.

The end of the lower arm 54 includes holes 56 for nailing or screwing tothe supporting member.

Since the deterrent 10 is formed of various pieces that easily snaptogether, any combination of the pieces is possible. FIG. 9 illustratesa deterrent 60 whose arms are only formed of the upper arm 46 portion.The top clip 44 of the upper arm 46 is snapped into the hole 48 (FIG. 8)of the connector piece 19. A plastic stop (a tab) 62 extends from theupper arm 46 and fits within a groove 64 formed in the connector piece19 to limit the downward angle of the arms 46 to provide support. Thestop 62 is also shown in the FIG. 5 side view of the upper arm 46, wherethe stop 62 is shown extending through a hole in the lower arm 54 whenthe arms are in their minimum length configuration during storage.

As shown in FIG. 9, a second connector piece 19 is clipped to the centersupport 16 at a midway position to support a second set of arms 46.

The center support 16 in FIG. 9 can be any length, and the arms could bethe adjustable types so that the arms could be adjusted to span anypractical distance between conductors (to prevent an animal contacting aconductor while perching on the supporting member) while being at anoptimal angle for deterring birds landing on the arms. Any number ofarms can be attached to the support 16 by adding more connector pieces19.

FIG. 10 further illustrates the flexibility of forming a deterrent fromvarious pieces, where the deterrent is mounted to the side of a supportstructure 68. In FIG. 10, the same deterrent of FIG. 9 is used but withthe upper arms 46 extending from only one side of the support 16 toprevent a bird from perching on the insulator 69. A bird would not perchon the steeply angled upper arms 46.

FIG. 11 illustrates a deterrent 70 formed of PVC piping. A lower portion72 of the center support 73 receives a smaller-diameter upper portion 74that slides within the lower portion 72. When the desired length isachieved, a key 76 or other locking device is inserted through thealigned holes to fix the length. The arms 78 are supported by sleeves 80that slide along the length of the upper portion 74 or the lower portion72. When the desired position is achieved, a key or locking device isinserted through the aligned holes to fix the position.

FIG. 12 (front view) and FIG. 13 (perspective view) illustrate adifferent arm design. The arms 86 are identical and each includes aplastic clip 88 at one end. The arms 86 may be directly snapped togetherand affixed to a supporting member using nails without a center support16 (FIG. 3), or the arms 86 may be connected to the connector piece 19(FIG. 8) that is snapped onto the center support 16. The lineman snapsthe deterrent together in the field to adapt to a certain situation. Thearms 86 may come in a variety of lengths rather than be adjustable.Alternatively, the arms that are snapped together in the configurationof FIGS. 12 and 13 may be the adjustable type shown in FIGS. 4-6.

The required spacings between the plastic arms and the conductors may befound in existing publications published by IEEE, or the electriccompany, or other sources. The National Electrical Safety Codeidentifies required distances between out-of-phase conductors andbetween conductors and ground for various voltages.

FIGS. 14-25 illustrate insulating (e.g., molded plastic) deterrents andinterlocking pieces used to create a deterrent, where the interlockingdevice comprises an inverted keyhole shaped opening (a round openingwith a narrowed slot) in one piece and a flat round head with a shortneck on another piece, where the head is inserted through the roundopening and slid so that the neck moves into the slot.

FIG. 14 illustrates a deterrent 100 similar to FIG. 1A but using adifferent type of interlocking device for all the pieces. FIG. 15 is afront view of the bracket 102 used in FIG. 14, and FIG. 16 is a sideview of the bracket 102 used in FIG. 14. The bracket 102 may be nailedor screwed to support member 14 in FIG. 14. The bracket has an invertedkeyhole opening 104 and a slot 106 identical to the bottom of theopening 104.

FIG. 17 is a front view of the center support 108 used in FIG. 14, andFIG. 18 is a side view of the center support 108 used in FIG. 14. Thecenter support 108 has inverted keyhole openings 110 identical to theinverted keyhole opening 104 in the bracket 102. At the bottom of thecenter support 108 are two raised heads 112. For attachment to thebracket 102, the bottom head 112 is inserted through the opening 104,and the center support 110 is pushed downward to lock the heads 112within the slots (slot 106 and bottom of opening 104). All parts aremolded as unitary pieces.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the connector 114 used in FIG. 14 forattachment of the arms 116 to the center support 108. The connector 114has heads 118 that lock into any two openings 110 in the center support110 so may be at any height to create an optimal angle of the arms 110.

FIG. 20 is a front view of an arm that may be connected to the connector114 of FIG. 19 or directly to the center support 110 of FIG. 114. Toconnect the arm 116 to the right side of the connector 114, the invertedkeyhole opening 120 of the arm 116 is locked onto the raised head 122 ofthe connector so it can pivot. The other end of the arm 116 is then setat the optimal angle and nailed or screwed to the supporting member 14(FIG. 14) through one or more of the small holes 124 in the arm 116. Toconnect the arm 116 to the left side of the connector 114, the raisedhead 126 is inserted into the opening 128 of the connector 114 andlocked in place so it can pivot. The other end of the arm 116 is thenset at the optimal angle and nailed or screwed to the supporting member14 (FIG. 14) through one or more of the small holes 130 in the arm 116.

FIG. 21 is a front view of two identical arms 116 being pivotallyconnected together by inserting the head 126 into the opening 120 andlocking the arms together for a small or otherwise simple deterrent 132.The free ends of the arms 116 are nailed or screwed to the supportingmember 14 (FIG. 14) after creating an optimal angle of the arms 116. Itis envisioned that the lineman will store in his vehicle arms 116 ofvarious lengths, such as 10-30 inches, so that any span of the deterrent132 can be created with any angle of the arms 116.

The deterrent 136 of FIG. 22 is similar to deterrent 60 of FIG. 9,except for the type of interlocking device. The bracket 102 and centersupport 108 may be identical to that shown in FIG. 14. The connector 138for the arms 140 can be positioned anywhere along the center supportusing the interlocking heads 142 and openings 144. FIG. 23 is aperspective view of the connector 138 used in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a front view of one of the arms 140 in the deterrent of FIG.22, and FIG. 25 is a side view of one of the arms 140. The heads 146snap into the respective openings 148 in the connector 138 so that thearms 140 are fixed in place and do not pivot. The lineman would stockarms 140 of different lengths, such as 8-20 inches, and stock centersupports 108 of different lengths to achieve the necessary spans. Ifdesired, the free ends of the arms 140 can be nailed or screwed to thesupporting member 14 via holes 150.

Other types of interconnecting devices can also be used.

Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art willappreciate that, given the present disclosure, modifications may be madeto the invention without departing from the spirit of the inventiveconcept described herein. Therefore, it is not intended that the scopeof the invention be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated anddescribed.

1. A wildlife deterrent for a utility support structure for preventionof flashover, the utility support structure having at least onesupporting member supporting at least one insulator and at least oneconductor carrying a voltage, the deterrent comprising: a center supporthaving a connector portion at a bottom end of the center supportconnected to the supporting member of the utility support structure suchthat the center support is directly supported by the supporting member,the center support being formed of a dielectric insulating material; anarm connector, the center support having a plurality of connectionlocations along its length for the arm connector, the arm connectorbeing connected directly to the center support at one of the connectionlocations along the length of the center support to adjust a height ofthe arm connector above the bottom of the center support, the armconnecter being connectable to the center support without the need fortools or other pieces, the arm connector being formed of a dielectricinsulating material and at least one arm having two ends, one of theends being connected directly to the arm connector without the need fortools or other pieces, the arm creating a downward angle relative to thecenter support when connected to the arm connector, wherein a height ofthe arm above the supporting member is adjustable for obtaining adesired configuration of the deterrent, the arm being formed of adielectric insulating material.
 2. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein theat least one arm is pivotally connected to the arm connector, wherein anangle of the at least one arm with respect to the supporting member isadjustable.
 3. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the at least one armcomprises at least one adjustable-length arm, a length of theadjustable-length arm being adjustable without the need for tools. 4.The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the at least one arm is connected atits other end to the supporting member.
 5. The deterrent of claim 1further comprising a bracket connected to the bottom end of the centersupport without the need for tools or other pieces, the bracket beingdirectly connected to the supporting member of the utility supportstructure.
 6. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the arm connector isconnected to the center support using first molded hand-releasable clipsformed on at least one of the arm connector and center support, and theat least one arm is connected to the arm connector using second moldedhand-releasable clips formed on at least one of the arm and armconnector.
 7. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the arm connector isconnected to the center support, and the at least one arm is connectedto the arm connector, using molded raised heads inserted into invertedkeyhole openings.
 8. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the center supportcomprises a base portion and a movable upper portion, wherein the upperportion has connectors along its length that connect to the base portionsuch that the height of the center support is adjustable.
 9. Thedeterrent of claim 1 wherein the at least one arm is fixed at an anglewith respect to the center support when connected to the arm connector.10. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the center support, the armconnector, and the at least one arm are each a molded unitary piece. 11.The deterrent of claim 1 further comprising the center support beingconnected to the supporting member, the arm connector being connected tothe center support, and the at least one arm being connected to the armconnector.
 12. The deterrent of claim 11 wherein an end of the at leastone arm opposite to the arm connector is directly attached to thesupporting member.
 13. The deterrent of claim 11 wherein an end of theat least one arm opposite to the arm connector is spaced above thesupporting member and not directly attached to the supporting member.14. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the arm connector has two oppositeends, wherein the at least one arm comprises two identical armsconnectable to the opposite ends of the arm connector.
 15. The deterrentof claim 1 wherein the at least one arm is pivotally connected to thearm connector, wherein an angle of the arm with respect to thesupporting member is adjustable, and the height of the arm connectorabove the supporting member is adjustable so that an angle of the atleast one arm and a closest distance between the at least one arm and aninsulator attached to the supporting member are independently settable.16. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the supporting member ishorizontal.
 17. The deterrent of claim 1 wherein the supporting memberis vertical.
 18. A method of setting up an insulating wildlife deterrentfor a utility support structure for prevention of flashover, the utilitysupport structure having at least one supporting member supporting atleast one insulator and at least one conductor carrying a voltage, themethod comprising: determining a desired distance between at least onearm of the deterrent and an insulator on the supporting member; affixinga bracket directly to the supporting member; connecting a bottom end ofa center support of the deterrent directly to the bracket without toolssuch that the center support is directly supported by the supportingmember, the center support having a plurality of connection locationsalong its length for an arm connector; connecting the arm connectordirectly to the center support at one of the connector locations withouttools to set an adjustable height of the arm connector above the bottomend of the center support; and connecting the at least one arm directlyto the arm connector without tools, the arm creating a downward anglerelative to the center support when connected to the arm connector,wherein a height of the arm above the supporting member is manually setfor obtaining a desired configuration of the deterrent.
 19. The methodof claim 18 wherein connecting the at least one arm to the arm connectorcomprises pivotally connecting the arm to the arm connector, the methodfurther comprising setting an angle of the arm with respect to thesupporting member to achieve a desired distance between the arm and theinsulator, and affixing an end of the arm to the supporting member. 20.The method of claim 18 wherein the arm connector is connected to thecenter support before the center support is connected to the bracket.